Fotofix - Vintage Cameras

Canon Rangefinder Timeline

Seiki Kogaku (now Canon) began to develop and subsequently to produce rangefinder cameras with the Kwanon prototype in 1933, based on the Leica II 35mm camera, with separate rangefinder and view finder systems (3 windows). Production began with the Hansa Canon on the Leica III format through WWII. Post war Canon resumed production of pre-war designs in early 1946 with the JII viewfinder and the S1 rangefinder. But in late 1946 they introduced the SII which departed from the Leica design by offering a combined viewfinder/rangefinder system, reducing the windows on the front of the camera to two. However, in most other respects these cameras remained visually similar to the Leica III.
In 1956, Canon departed from the Leica II Style and developed a more contemporary look, along with a Contax style self-timer level to the left of the lens mount. This was the first Canon camera with a swing-open camera back for film loading. Upper end models had a new three-mode viewfinders and winding triggers.